Packing machine



E. L. WHITE PACKING MACHINE Jan. 5, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 17, 1958 /l 8 INVENTOR EDWARD L. WHITE A J EN 2 f h M a 1 1 r y 8 4 I 7 m w m w 2; f 6 i M M m a a a m w a 6 8 a M H 5 w M TTORNEYS Jan. 5, 1960 E. L. WHITE 2,919,528

PACKING MACHINE Filed April 17, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR EDWARD L. WHITE ATTORNEYS United tate Patent PACKING MACHINE Edward L. White, Hickory, N.C.

Application April 17, 1958, Serial No. 729,210

Claims. (Cl. 53-124) This invention relates generally to the filling and packing of cartons and more particularly to a packing machine for placing additional articles in a partially filled open carton.

To better understand this invention, it is of interest to consider the present packing techniques followed and the various problems encountered in filling loosely packed cartons with additional articles. When a plurality of flattened or collapsed articles, such as folded box blanks or the like, are packed in groups or stacked tiers,

.they tend to expand in accordion-like fashion when placed in an empty carton. In order to completely fill a'carton, it formerly required a separate operator to first compress the loosely packed articles by hand toward one end of the carton while another operator inserted additional articles into the partially filled carton. This procedure required an excessive number of employees to perform the packing operation of one carton and a particular objection was the fact that hand packing failed to compress the blanks sufiiciently to completely fill the carton. Moreover, the process of'hand packing each carton is extremely tedious and comparatively slow.

It therefore is a primary object of the present invention to provide a packing machine whereby previously packed flattened articles of the type mentioned may be mechanically compressed within a carton without distortion of the carton Walls to permit the insertion of additional articles, and thereby serving to greatly increase the number of articles which may be packed in each carton.

A further object of the invention is to provide a packing machine of the character generally stated capable of being actuated by a single operator with the exercise of limited or no mechanical skill, and with a minimum effort on the part of the operator.

7 Another object of this invention is to provide a packing machine of such construction as to permit adjustment of various parts in order that it may be adapted to pack articles varying in size or number as well as to permit sequential packing of separate tiers.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a packing machine which is of simple construction, which involves the use of comparatively few easily assembled and readily replaceable parts, which is completely dependable in operation, and otherwise well adapted to the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and the entire scope of the present invention will become apparent with the detailed description given hereinafter. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent as the description herein progresses.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention can best be understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, with parts removed, of a packing machine constructed in accordance with the invention, showing the parts in various positions they will assume during the packing operation,

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the packing machineillustrated in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the packing machine shown in Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a novel packing plate which may be moved to different packing positions,

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of Figure 3,

Figure 6 is a schematic view illustrating the different positions which various parts will assume when the packing machine is moved from a receiving position to an extended operating position,

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing the movement of the packing plate from a loading position immediately above a partially filled open carton to a packing position within the carton, and

Figure 8 is a schematic view illustrating movement of the packing plate while in packing position to compress the loosely packed articles.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the packing machine forming the subject matter of the present invention is mounted on a table generally indicated by the numeral 14, which includes a working platform or table top 16 supported at suitable height by legs 18 properly braced and reinforced by elements 20 to produce a rigid support. A pair of upstanding angled supports 22 and 24 are adjustably secured to ,the table 14 by bolts 26 which pass through a slot 28 formed along one end of the working platform 16. The stationary upstanding supports 22 and 24 cooperate to define an open channel for receiving cartons of various dimensions.

A packing carton indicated generally by the numeral 32 is shown in Figure 1 with its top removed and includes a pair of end walls 34 and 36, a bottom wall 38, and side walls 40 and 42 extended between the end walls 3-4 and 36. This carton is first partially filled with a plurality of loosely stacked articles 44, such as folded box blanks or the like. It is preferable that the articles 44 are packed in upstanding position and disposed transversely within the carton 32 to form a stacked group or tier 46 between the carton end walls 34 and 36. When the carton 32 has been partially filled, as previously described, it is placed on the platform 16 in an upright position and aligned with the adjustable supports 22 and 24.

As shown, various members of the packing machine are mounted on a movable carriage indicated generally by the numeral 50 which is adjustably supported above the platform 16 by a clamping sleeve 56. The sleeve 56 slidably engages a vertical supporting post 52, which is rigidly secured to one end of the table 14 by suitable braces 54, and may be locked in place by a bolt 58 to enable vertical adjustment of the carriage 50.

The carriage assembly 50 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 68 carried by the sleeve 56 and includes a pair of L-shaped arms 60 and 62 which are spaced in parallel relation above the working platform 16. The upper legs 76 and 78 of arms 60 and 62, respectively, are joined by a cross member 64 to form a rigid frame 70 while the lower legs and 77 are journaled to the shaft 68 by suitable bearing blocks 66 so that the frame 70 may be rotated from a raised receiving position R to an operating position 0 as illustrated in Figures 1 and 6.

Disposed between the L-shaped arms 60 and 62 is a stationary trackway 80 which extends rearwardiy in parallel alignment with the upper legs 76 and 78 beyond the frame 70. In order that the trackway 80 may be carried slightly below the upper surfaces of legs 76 and 78, a recess 72 (see Figure is formed in the cross-member 64. The forward end of the trackway 80 is permanently secured to the cross-member 64 while the opposite end is rigidly supported by a brace 82 suitably connected to the frame 70. A movable arm 86 is slidably mounted within the trackway 80 and extends outwardly therefrom in a direction forward of the frame 70. Rigidly secured to the forward end of the movable arm 86 is a mounting block 87 (see Figure 4) which slidably supports a packing plate 88. A crosshead member 89 is secured to the opposite rear end of arm 86 and extends upwardly above the trackway 80' in slidable engagement with piston rod 100. The movable arm 86 is retained within the trackway 80 by means of a crossbar 91 which slides along the upper surfaces of the legs 76 and 78 and is fastened to the crosshead member 89.

The force necessary to move the sliding arm 86 rearwardly along the stationary trackway 80 is supplied by a double acting air cylinder 90 mounted rearwardly of the frame 70 to the top of the trackway 80. The air cylinder 90 is actuated by a conventional valve 92, positioned within convenient reach of the operators foot, which communicates with an air supply line 94 connected to a suitable pressure regulator 97 for directing air under pressure to appropriate ends of the cylinder through tubes 96 and 98.

Since the air cylinder 90 is mounted directly above the trackway 80 in parallel alignment with the sliding arm 86, the piston rod 100 will pass freely through a slot 93 formed in the crosshead member 89 to an extended position without moving the arm 86 forwardly when valve 92 admits pressure to line 96. A pair of springs 81 are separately attached to each end of the crossbar 91 and are connected at 74 to the upper legs 76 and 78. The springs 81 tend to resiliently urge the crossbar 91 forwardly along the upper surfaces of legs 76 and 78 toward the cross-member 64 and in turn move the crosshead member 89 into abutment against an adjustable stop 95 carried at the end of piston rod 100. Movement of the crosshead member 89 toward the stop 95 causes the arm 86 to slide along the trackway S0 to an extended forward position E, and it will be understood that adjustments of the stop 95 may be made to govern the degree of forward movement transmitted to the sliding arm 86 by the crosshead member 89.

It is desirable to control the forward movement of the sliding arm 86, independently of the air cylinder 90, when the frame 70 is rotated from the raised receiving position R to operating position 0 by means of a cantilever latch 102 pivotally mounted on a pin 104 which is fastened to the frame 70, as best illustrated in Figures 2 and 5. The lower leg of latch 102 is tapered to form a cam surface 106 which rides over a pin 108 carried on the clamping sleeve 56. A spring109 is employed to continually urge the cam surface 106 into sliding engagement with the pin 108. The upper leg 110 of the cantilever latch 102 is designed to retard forward movement of the crosshead member 89. A pin 112 is secured to the crosshead member 89 in position to slide along the upper leg 110 of latch 102. From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that latch 102 allows the spring biased crosshead member 89 to move gradually into abutment with the stop 95 as the frame 70 rotates from a receiving position R to the lower operating position 0. However, when the frame 7 a9 is in operating position, latch 102 will not restrict movement of the crosshead member 89 because it will be moved away from the pin 112 due to the camming action of surface 106.

Referring now to Figure 4, a vertical channel 116 formed in the rectangular packing plate 88 is arranged to slidably engage the mounting block 87 rigidly secured to the forward end of arm 86. The mounting block 87 is retained within the vertical channel 116 by a closure plate 118 removably secured to the packing plate 88 by screws 120. A leaf spring 122 carried by the block 87 serves to resiliently retain the plate in the different adjusted positions shown in Figure 7. Near the top of plate 88, an opening 124 is provided for allowing the operator to firmly grip the plate and manually move it relative to the mounting block 87. In addition, a handle 114 is secured to the forward end of the sliding arm 86 for moving the frame 70 to the various positions previously described.

In operation, an open carton 32, partially filled with a plurality of stacked articles 44 loosely packed between the end walls 34 and 36, is placed in an upright position on the working platform 16. The carton side walls 40 and 42 are then aligned with the channel defined by the adjustable upstanding supports 22 and 24 and the end wall 34 is moved into abutting relation against the same. The carriage assembly 50 is then adjusted so that the frame 70 can move to an operating position directly above the carton 32. To commence the operation, the operator grasps the handle 114 and manually rotates the frame 70 from the raised receiving position R to operating position 0 immediately above the carton 3 2. During this movement, the crosshead member 89, crossbar 91 and sliding arm 86 are moved to a fully extended position E by the springs 81 as shown in Figure 6. By properly adjusting the stop 95, the packing plate 88 will be aligned to enter the carton 32 adjacent the end wall 36 when the sliding arm 86 is in fully extended position E. The operator then manually moves the packing plate 88 from its upper loading position L to a packing position P within the carton 32 and rearwardly of the loosely packed articles 44. With the packing plate 88 operatively positioned within the carton 32, the operator can then compress the articles 44 by actuating the valve 92 to supply air pressure to the air cylinder 90 through line 98 which retracts the piston rod 100. The movement of the piston rod forces the crosshead member 89 rearwardly which in turn moves the sliding arm 86 along the trackway to a contracted position C, carrying with it the packing plate 88, as shown in Figure 7. When this compressing action has taken place, additional articles 43 (see Figure 1) may be manually inserted by the operator in the space between the rear of the packing plate 88 and the carton end wall 36. Since the carton end Wall 34 abuts against the stationary supports 22 and 24, compression of the articles 44 within the carton 32 can be accomplished without fear of distorting the carton wall and thereby serving to greatly increase the number of articles which may be packed in each carton. Next, the operator will manually withdraw the packing plate 88 vertically from the tightly packed tier 46 to the initial loading position L and then will grasp the handle 11 to rotate the frame 70 upwardly away from the carton into the raised receiving position R whereupon he may release the pressure in line 98. The sliding arm 86 will be retained in contracted position C by the cantilever latch 102 as previously described. It should be pointed out, that the packing plate 88 may be moved vertically to different packing positions P within the carton 32 to permit the sequential packing of separate rows or tiers 46, as shown in Figure I.

lit is to be understood that although a preferred embodiment of this invention has been shown in the drawings and described with considerable particularity in the foregoing specification, the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction shown and described, but includes all modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

I claim:

1. In a packing machine for placing additional articles in a partially filled open carton, a platform for supporting said carton in upright position, an abutment member extending upwardly from said platform to externally register with one side of said carton, a carriage movable from a receiving position relatively remote from said carton to an operating position adjacent the v upwardly facing open side of said carton, a packing plate supported by said carriage and arranged to enter said carton in position to displace the loosely packed articles toward the previously mentioned carton side when said carriage moves to operating position, means for independently moving said plate between a loading position directly above said open side and a packing position within said carton while said carriage remains in operating position, and-reciprocating means mounted on said carriage for advancing said plate while in said packing position toward said abutment member to compress the loosely packed articles therebetween and provide space within said carton for the insertion of additional articles.

2. In a packing machine, a platform for holding a partially filled carton in upright position, a support extending upwardly from said platform to externally register with one side of said carton, a frame disposed above said platform movable between a raised position relatively remote from said carton and a loading position adjacent said carton, a movable arm slidably mounted on said frame for movement between a retracted position and an extended position forward of said frame, a removable packing plate carried by said arm and arranged to operate between a leading position outside said carton and different packing positions within said carton when said frame is in operating position, means for moving said arm to extended position while said frame moves to operating position so that said plate will be in position to enter through the open side of said carton and displace the loosely packed articles toward said support, reciprocating means carried by said frame for moving said arm from extended position to retracted position when said plate is in packing position to compress the articles and provide space for the insertion of additional articles in said carton.

3. In a packing machine, a platform for holding a partially filled open carton in upright position, a stationary support carried by said platform and extending upwardly therefrom to externally register with one end of said carton, an L-shaped frame disposed above said platform having upper and lower leg members, said lower leg member being rotatably mounted to permit movement of said frame between a receiving position relatively remote from said carton and an operating position wherein said upper leg member extends substantially parallel to said platform directly above the open side of said carton, a trackway supported by said I frame in parallel alignment with said upper leg member,

an arm slidably mounted in said trackway for movement between a retracted position and an extended position forward of said frame, a movable packing plate carried by said arm and arranged to operate between a loading position immediately above the open side of said carton and different packing positions within said carton when said frame is in operating position, means for moving said arm to extended position while said frame moves to operating position so that said plate a will be in loading position ready to enter through the open side of said carton and displace the loosely packed articles toward said support, and reciprocating means carried'by said frame for moving said arm from extended position to retracted position when said plate is in packing position to compress the articles and provide space for the insertion of additional articles in said carton.

4. In a packing machine, a platform for holding a partially filled open carton in upright position, an upstanding support carried by said platform for externally engaging and aligning one end of said carton, a stationary vertical supporting post, a clamping sleeve adjustably supported on said post, a pair of L-shaped arms each having upper and lower leg members joined in parallel alignment to form a rigid frame disposed above said platform, the lower leg members of said arms being rotatably mounted on said sleeve to permit movement of said frame between a raised receiving position relatively remote from said carton and a lower loading position wherein said upper leg members extend substantially parallel to said platform directly above the open side of said carton, a trackway support by said frame between the L-shaped arms and in parallel alignment with said upper leg members, a movable arm slidably mounted in said trackway and carrying a crosshead member at one end which extends laterally between said arms above said trackway, a spring connected at one end to said crosshead member and at the other end to said frame for resiliently urging said arm forwardly from a retracted position to an extended position forward of said frame, a removable packing plate carried by said arm and arranged to operate between a loading position immediately above the open side of said carton and different packing positions within the carton when said frame is in operating position, means for holding said arm in retracted position while said frame is in receiving position and additionally controlling the forward movement of said arm to extended position when said frame moves to operating position so that said plate will be in loading position ready to enter through the open side of said carton and displace the loosely packed articles toward said support, and reciprocating means carried by said frame for moving said arm from extended position to retracted position when said plate is in packing position to compress the articles and provide space for the insertion of additional articles in said carton.

5. In a packing machine for filling a carton having at least one side thereof open for the reception of articles, a support arranged to externally engage a side of said carton which is substantially perpendicular to said open side, a carriage movable from a receiving position relatively remote from said carton to an operating position adjacent said carton, a packing plate supported by said carriage arranged to move from a loading position outside said carton through said open side to a packing position within said carton whenthe carriage is in said operating position, and reciprocating means operatively connected to said plate for advancing the same toward said support while in said packing position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 684,510 Hallgren Oct. 15, 1901 1,345,926 Harris July 6, 1920 1,533,455 Peterson et al. Apr. 14, 1925 1,673,236 Fleischer June 12, 1928 2,046,367 Collins July 7. 1936 

